If Jon Jones was indeed retired several months ago, as he recently claimed, then that information is news to UFC President Dana White.
Speaking on Saturday night following UFC 317, White addressed a series of tweets posted by Jones earlier in the week. Jones had stated that he informed the promotion he was done fighting after his victory over Stipe Miocic but was repeatedly encouraged to reconsider. While he acknowledged having discussions with the UFC about potentially fighting Tom Aspinall, Jones adamantly denied that any agreement was ever reached for the bout, contradicting White`s previous statement that the fight was “done” before Jones abruptly decided to retire from the sport.
“I was told 1,000 times to just reconsider and just give it more time. That’s the truth,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “If the fight was done, trust me, I would be fighting. Did we start negotiating at one point yes, but [it] was never done. My job at the time was to sit back and be quiet about it and that’s exactly what I did. I was enjoying my life that should’ve been obvious to you guys.”
While not seeking a direct confrontation about the accuracy of his initial statement, White refuted Jones` numerous tweets on the subject when questioned at the UFC 317 post-fight press conference.
Responding specifically to Jones` assertion that he effectively retired last November, White stated, “That’s not true. I’m telling you the truth. Believe who you want to believe.”
It`s not unusual for White and Jones to have differing accounts of past events between them, but this instance might be one of the final times it occurs.
For his part, White remained calm and did not appear agitated when addressing Jones` claims, but he stood firmly by his statement that the Aspinall fight was ready to proceed until the now-former heavyweight champion changed his mind.
Regardless of the differing narratives, the outcome is the same: Jones has relinquished the title and retired from the sport, with Tom Aspinall now standing as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Regarding Aspinall`s future, White declined to discuss potential possibilities when asked about a likely matchup between Aspinall and Ciryl Gane, which currently appears to be the most probable next step.
Aspinall himself has already indicated that Gane is the opponent he is most interested in facing, but no official decisions have been finalized as the heavyweight division moves forward following the end of Jones` reign.
